An Introduction to Functions › Functions and Access Paths

Functions and Access Paths

Functions that operate on a file are always attached to the file by an access path. Records are automatically read from the file using the access path, which specifies the order and selection criteria in which records from the file are processed. Since the access path can be based on several files, a function can process data from more than one file. In addition, a generated program can be composed of several functions, each processing different access paths. Default panel and report formats are derived from the function’s access path.

For more information:

• Function types, see the chapter Defining Functions.
• Access paths, see the Building Access Paths Guide.